The Multiverse
The Decline of Empire Saga assumes a Multiverse . This assumption is necessary given it is set in an alternate universe. The particular interpretation of the Multiverse applied here is the "Absurdly Literal School", in which there is an infinite number of parallel universe containing every conceivable Universe. As we are in the process of conceiving the universe in which the Decline of Empire Saga takes place, it is conceivalbe. Therefore it must be true. So according teh the Absurdly Literal School of Multiversality, this is in fact a work of non-fiction. However, since we are not in direct contact with the Univerwse in question, a fair amount of speculation is required. Therefore we should more accurately describe this as Speculative Non-Fiction , or more specifically, Speculative Parallel History . But I digress... The Tegmarkian Multiverse Multiversal Superbrain Max Tegmark has defined a 4 level model of the multiverse that, if you haven't read extensively on the subject before, will make your brain melt. Here is a very poor re-explaination of what he may or may not be talking about... : Level 1: The next Universe is just over there -- our visible universe is only a small part of our entire universe, but the rest of it is too far away to see. The other parts of our universe may not have the same rules as we have. Let's call them sub-iverses. : Level 2: "Classical" parallel universes -- imagine a bubble bath, with each bubble representing a Universe with it's own big bang, and presumably, containing lots of sub-iververses. : Level 3: The branching Universe -- Each Level 2 Universe branches off into 2 or more very, very similar but slightly different universes every time something that happens, resulting in an exponential explosion of universes (every individual bubble in the bubble bath is constantly splitting into eeirly similar, but slightly different bubbles,, without the messiness of a new Big Bang and all that slow march of time stuff) : Level 4: Our Level 3 Multiverse is one output of a Giant-Mathematical-Universe-Making-Algorithm, which in fact consists of every possible combination of physical laws and constants. If all this is true, then the Level 4 Multiverse is so gobsmackingly enormous it is probably impossible to comprehend with a human brain. Even a brain like Max Tegmark's. On the other hand, Max Tegmark may be a complete raving looney. The Absurdly Literal Multiverse Let's assume 2 things: #Max Tegmark is not a complete raving looney #"every conceivable universe" actually means every Universe that any intelligent being in any of the universes can conceive This absurdly literal interpretation leaves a lot of scope for silliness. The silliness propogates in a heirarchical strucutre similar to Tegmark's 4 level model above. : Level 1 Silliness: for every universe, there is a near infinite set of other universes that are entirely indistinguishable from each other, the only differences being atomic and sub-atomic configurations tht make no noticable difference to the lives of anything living within it. : Level 2 Silliness: for every set of Level 1 Silliness Universes, there is a probably infinite set of universes that are very, very similar to each other, but differe in incredibly subtle ways -- the landing position of a leaf on the ground; the colour of a single hair; the price charged for a single apple at a market one day in the 13th century; the amount of water contained in a lake that no one ever swims in because it has a lot of algae and leaches; the position of a rock on an uninhabitable planet. : Level 3 Silliness: for every set of Level 2 Silliness Universes, threre is a totally infinite set of universes that are noticably different if you know where to look, but still recongnisably the same. This can range from a slightly different outcome for a single, historically insignificant individual right up to total alternate history scenarios. These scenarios can occur on any of the multitude of inhabited planet in said Universe, at any time in their history. Level 3 Silliness implies that every time you have ever thought "I wish..." there is a universe in which that wish is true. (Level 3 Silliness is also known as the SlidersMultiverse.) : Level 4 Silliness: all best are off. The laws of physics, logic, and common sense are altered, masacred, or completely abandoned. An infinity of infinities of ridciulousness, all made plausible by the simple assumption that anything that can be conceived, exists. For a very short sample of conceivable universes, see this Blog. In the Story Luc is an accidental traveller from a parallel universe (ours), but is unaware of this due the amnesia inducing effects of multi-dimensional space travel. Max The Multiplied may make a cameo appearance as a philosopher/fool, and could possibly be the first to reveal to Luc his possible Multiversal origins. The Absurdly Literal Interpretation of Multiverse is used by True Believing dwarfs as an argument for the irrationality of not believing in Gods.